Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians lost their 9th match of the season in 13 games and are currently in ninth place on IPL 2026 Points Table.
Published: May 21, 2026 11:19 AM IST
KKR vs MI IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians continued their disastrous run in the IPL 2026 season, slumping to their 9th defeat of the season in 13 matches. Hardik Pandya’s side were humbled by four-wickets by Kolkata Knight Riders in match no. 65 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. The five-time former champions remain in 9th spot and are already out of the race to reach the playoffs.
But there was more bad news coming for Nita Ambani’s MI side as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to take big action against the team’s captain Hardik Pandya. The MI all-rounder was fined 10 per cent of the match fees and also handed one demerit point.
“Hardik Pandya, Captain, Mumbai Indians (MI), has been fined 10 per cent of his match fee and has also accumulated one Demerit Point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials during Match No. 65 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday,” a BCCI statement read on Thursday.
MI captain Pandya was returning to lead the side after missing the last couple of matches against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings due to back spasms. Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah had led the MI side in absence of Pandya.
The MI skipper was sanctioned by the BCCI after he knocked off the bails with force in the 10th over of the KKR innings off the 4th ball. “Hardik Pandya was found to have breached Article 2.2 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to ‘abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a Match’. The incident occurred on the 4th ball of the 10th over of the second innings of the match, when Hardik Pandya, while walking back to his run-up, knocked the bails of the wicket with force,” the statement added.
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Earlier in that over Deepak Chahar and Robin Minz had made a meal of an easy catch offered on the boundary by KKR all-rounder Rovman Powell. Hardik was visibly frustrated after the drop which was followed by back-to-back boundaries by Manish Pandey. “Hardik Pandya admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by Match Referee – Rajiv Seth,” the BCCI statement read.
Hardik, who was retained for Rs 16.35 crore by Nita Ambani’s MI ahead of IPL 2026 season, has had a forgettable season both with bat and ball. He has only claimed 4 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 64.75 and scored only 172 runs at an average of 21.5 with a best of 40.
